The initial stage of the Southern Ocean contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development culminated in the publication in April 2022 of the Southern Ocean Action Plan by the Southern Ocean Task Force, a committee coordinated by SCAR. The Plan aimed to mobilise the Southern Ocean community and inspire all stakeholders to seek engagement and leverage opportunities to deliver innovative solutions that address the Decade goals for the Southern Ocean. This framework provides a roadmap to strengthen links between science, industry and policy, as well as to encourage internationally collaborative activities in order to address existing gaps in our knowledge and data coverage.
UN Decade
SCAR and the Task Force maintained engagement with the UN Decade Coordination Unit (DCU) to establish the best way to promote the aims of the Action Plan within the Decade structure. Following an initial application to become a regional Decade programme, the DCU advised that the formation of a Decade Collaborative Centre (DCC) would be the most appropriate way forward. The DCU provided guidance on the application process and they expedited approval from the Decade Advisory Board.
The main driver behind the decision to become a DCC was that there were already four UN Ocean Decade endorsed projects that pertain to the Southern Ocean, and other relevant projects being planned, but which were not yet formalised within the UN Ocean Decade context. More widely, at least 29 endorsed actions of the UN Ocean Decade had some connection to the Southern Ocean. However, an overall coordination of these activities was lacking. Through the DCC, SCAR would be able to create an international network for these groups to communicate and collaborate and to integrate with future large-scale projects.
The process of preparing a DCC application included coordinating a webinar, in partnership with the DCU to engage those existing Decade Actions with relevance to the Southern Ocean. During the webinar the DCU provided details on the work of a DCC and SCAR explained why we were well-placed to take on the DCC role for the Southern Ocean.
The DCC application was approved by the UN Decade Advisory Board in June 2023 and announced as the Decade Collaborative Centre for the Southern Ocean Region (DCC-SOR) on World Oceans Day, June 8th. The stated goals for the DCC-SOR are to enhance collaboration, promote the effective co-design of science, and optimize the use of resources among the diverse stakeholders. It will also facilitate the creation of synergies and links between existing Southern Ocean Decade Actions, catalyse new actions, and enhance technical and scientific capacity related to the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean Task Force will continue as an advisory body for the DCC-SOR.
The DCC-SOR will coordinate existing Decade Actions for the region, catalyse new initiatives, lead targeted communications and outreach, engage diverse stakeholders, and mobilise resources. The DCC-SOR will work across all ten Ocean Decade Challenges in the Southern Ocean region, focusing on:
- Challenge 1: Understand and beat marine pollution
- Challenge 2: Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity
- Challenge 3: Sustainably feed the global population
- Challenge 4: Develop a sustainable and equitable ocean economy
- Challenge 6: Increase community resilience to ocean hazards
- Challenge 9: Skills, knowledge and technology for all
- Challenge 10: Change humanity’s relationship with the ocean
The Southern Ocean has a global impact on the Earth system. The relationship between the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the surrounding Southern Ocean impacts global sea-level rise. The Southern Ocean also acts as a strong yet exhaustible buffer against climate change, as it stores some of the excess carbon from the atmosphere, and it plays a crucial role in ocean circulation by distributing atmospheric heat from pole to pole.
For more information, please contact info@scar.org or the Ocean Decade Communications Team.